This club was established in Bismarck in 1956 as the Nishu Archery Club. The club established an outdoor shooting and target range in south Bismarck in 1958. The outdoor range has evolved, through club efforts, into a 28-target outdoor range. Now known as the Nishu Bowmen Club, the group developed a strong and effective working partnership with Bismarck Parks and Recreation District (BPRD). For more than 30 years, BPRD provided space in the World War Memorial Building for the club to teach archery classes to children and adults.

That facility’s space limitations, combined with the growing interest in archery and target shooting, lead the club officers, in August of 2003, to make a proposal to the Bismarck Board of Park Commissioners to cooperatively build an all season indoor archery facility next to their outdoor range.

The Nishu Bowmen Club provided a detailed plan for their proposed 90′x150′ facility, which included three different funding sources: the general public, club members and funds from the ND Game and Fish Department. The proposal also included the donation of in-kind services from club members.

An indoor range would provide an opportunity for increased offerings for public archery classes, adaptive archery classes, indoor and outdoor shooting competitions, a 20-yard target range on the upper level and a lower level, 30-yard range for hosting 3-D leagues and tournaments and, overall, a structure that would be unlike any other in the Midwest, benefiting not only archery enthusiasts, but the community of Bismarck as a whole.

The Board of Parks Commissioners moved unanimously to move forward and help make the indoor facility a reality. The Nishu Bowmen Club provided countless hours of volunteer labor to finish the interior of the facility, as well as the surrounding grounds.

On July 25th, 2008, the Nishu Bowmen Club dedicated their new indoor facility, which has an appraised value of $900,000. All classes and competitions now take place at the combined indoor/outdoor complex. It is a one of a kind facility, adding to the diversity of recreational programming opportunities in Bismarck, and is an appropriate fit with the BPRD Vision and Mission.

From beginners to the old pros, the Nishu Archery Club belongs to and serves the members – and they would like you to become one of them.